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Eastern Chestnut Mouse (Pseudomys gracilicaudatus)

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is a medium-sized native rodent of eastern Australia. It uses wet heath, swamps, open woodland and open eucalypt forest with dense ground cover, and is vulnerable in New South Wales, so clearing and ground disturbance can remove feeding, nesting and shelter habitat.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The annual pattern below combines the reported August to March or September to March breeding period with the species' crepuscular and nocturnal activity. Exact timing can vary across the broad Queensland to New South Wales range.

Months are January to December. A value of 1 means the activity or risk occurs, and 0 means it is not typical based on the supplied information.

  • Breeding, mating and births: Breeding is reported from about August to March, or September to March. The supplied sources do not identify peak breeding months.
  • Young dependent in nests: Young are born during the breeding season, remain associated with grass nests during early development, open their eyes at about day 11 and are weaned after the fourth week.
  • Local movement and foraging: The species is terrestrial, crepuscular and nocturnal throughout the year. It uses runways and tunnels in dense sedge cover and has small reported home ranges.
  • Post-fire habitat use: Population densities can peak in heath regenerating about 2 to 4 years after fire. This is a habitat condition rather than a seasonal event.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest during the reported August to March breeding period because grass nests, births and dependent young may be present. The sources do not establish a month of peak risk.

Identification

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is a medium-sized native rodent with a chestnut back, grey underparts and a relatively short, sparsely haired tail. It is terrestrial and is most likely to be detected at night or around dense ground cover.

The dorsal fur is grizzled chestnut brown or chestnut brown, while the underparts are grey. The feet are pale grey or greyish white, with fine hairs extending beyond the claws. A faint eye ring may be present.

The tail is 70 to 120 mm long, sparsely haired, and equal to or slightly shorter than the 90 to 145 mm head and body length. Ears are about 15 mm long and the hindfoot is 24 to 29 mm.

Weight: 45 to 118 g

Head and body: 90 to 145 mm

Tail: 70 to 120 mm

Hindfoot: 24 to 29 mm

Identification: Similar rodents

The Hastings River Mouse is similar, but the Eastern Chestnut Mouse has bicoloured hair rather than bicoloured skin and hair. The Hastings River Mouse also has a more strongly contrasting bicoloured tail, prominent eyes and white feet.

The New Holland Mouse is generally paler grey brown, has a tail longer than the head and body, and has a darker tail tip. These features help separate it from the chestnut-backed Eastern Chestnut Mouse, whose tail is equal to or slightly shorter than the head and body.

Identification: Field signs and detection

The species is terrestrial, crepuscular and nocturnal. In wet heath it maintains runways and tunnels through dense sedge cover.

Day nests are made from grass. During targeted work, inspect dense sedge and grass cover for runways, tunnels and grass nests, and use night-time detection methods where permitted and appropriate.

  • Treat a small grass nest in dense ground cover as a potential native rodent refuge until checked by a qualified fauna ecologist.
  • Do not rely on a single field sign for identification because the species overlaps with other small rodents.

Distribution: National range

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse occurs along the east coast of Australia, from north-eastern Queensland to eastern central New South Wales. The supplied sources describe a patchy range and an outlying population near Jervis Bay.

The known range extends from north-eastern Queensland south to eastern central New South Wales. It includes coastal areas and areas near the Great Dividing Range, with an outlying population at Jervis Bay in south-eastern New South Wales.

The sources do not provide a complete state by state occurrence list or a mapped set of bioregions. They identify Queensland and New South Wales as part of the range and describe records from coastal and Great Dividing Range areas.

Northern limit: North-eastern Queensland, with the species described as extending to Cooktown

Southern mainland limit: Eastern central New South Wales

Outlying population: Jervis Bay, south-eastern New South Wales

Distribution pattern: Patchy

Distribution: Strongholds and population information

The supplied sources do not identify confirmed strongholds, discrete subpopulations, total population size or a population trend. They report that the species is present in protected areas and may become locally abundant.

Population densities are reported to peak in heath regenerating about 2 to 4 years after fire. This is a habitat condition, not a population estimate.

Total population size: Not stated in supplied sources

Population trend: Not stated in supplied sources

Reported density pattern: Densities can peak in heath regenerating about 2 to 4 years after fire

Habitat: Habitat types

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse uses moist, structurally dense vegetation as well as some open forest and woodland habitats. Dense understorey and ground cover are recurring features of the habitat descriptions.

Recorded habitat includes wet heathland, swampy areas, open eucalypt forest, open woodland, and dry or wet sclerophyll forest. The species is also associated with grassy understorey and dense understorey.

Wet heath and swamp habitats can occur on sandy coastal soils in high rainfall areas. The supplied sources do not give an elevation limit for the species.

Elevation limit: Not stated in supplied sources

Climate information: The range extends along the eastern Australian coast from Queensland to New South Wales; wet heath habitat is associated with high rainfall areas

  • Retain wet heath, swamp vegetation, dense sedge, grass cover and understorey during site planning.
  • Assess open woodland and eucalypt forest where there is a well-developed grassy or shrubby ground layer.

Habitat: Structure to retain

Dense ground cover provides runways, tunnels, feeding cover and nest material. Important structural features include dense sedges, grasses, heath understorey and swamp or wet heath vegetation.

Areas regenerating about 2 to 4 years after fire can support high population densities, but recently burnt areas should not be assumed to be unoccupied.

  • Map patches of dense sedge, grass, heath and swamp cover before clearing.
  • Maintain connected ground cover where practicable between retained habitat patches.
  • Inspect regrowth areas, including heath regenerating 2 to 4 years after fire, for signs and live animals before disturbance.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is a generalist herbivore that feeds at night. It forages on the ground within dense vegetation and also takes animal matter such as insects.

Reported food includes seeds, grass stems, fungi and insects. The species is also described as a generalist herbivore.

The supplied sources do not identify particular food plant species or quantify daily food intake.

Feeding period: Night, with activity also around dusk and dawn

Foraging range: Not stated separately from the home range

Home range: Less than 0.5 ha, as reported in the supplied source

  • Retain seeding grasses, heath plants, fungi-rich ground litter and insect-bearing ground cover within habitat patches.
  • Avoid stripping litter and dense ground vegetation from retained habitat margins.

Foraging habitat: Foraging conditions

Foraging occurs on or close to the ground in wet heath, swampy areas, grass-dominated understorey, open woodland and open forest. Runways and tunnels in dense sedge cover are associated with movement through wet heath.

  • Search dense ground cover and sedge corridors when assessing potential foraging habitat.
  • Keep machinery, spoil and stored materials out of retained ground cover until fauna checks are complete.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs through the warmer part of the year, broadly from late winter or early spring to early autumn. Females use grass nests in dense ground cover and can produce more than one litter in a year.

Females give birth in grass nests. Young are born haired, open their eyes at about day 11 and are weaned after the fourth week. Some females may breed over two years.

Breeding season: About August to March, or September to March depending on the source

Litter size: 1 to 5 young, with an average of 3

Litters per year: Up to 3

Gestation: About 27 days

Age at maturity: Not stated directly; adult size is reached after about 6 months, and females are reported to give birth in their second year

Lifespan: Not stated; some females may breed in the wild over 2 years

Young development: Eyes open at about day 11 and young are weaned after the fourth week

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding habitat includes dense grass, sedge and heath cover that can support a grass nest and provide concealment. Wet heath, swampy areas and grassy understorey are relevant habitat types.

The supplied sources do not give nest dimensions or a measured distance between nests and feeding areas.

  • Inspect dense grass, sedge and heath before clearing, particularly during August to March.
  • Retain connected cover around potential nest sites so adults and recently weaned young can move between shelter and feeding areas.

Sheltering habitat: Day refuges

The species shelters during the day in grass nests and dense ground vegetation. In wet heath it also uses runways and tunnels through dense sedge cover.

Grass nests provide daytime shelter. Dense sedge, grass, heath and swamp vegetation provide concealment and support runways and tunnels.

The supplied sources do not report burrow dimensions, nest dimensions, refuge depth or a requirement for tree hollows.

Nest type: Grass nest

Associated cover: Dense sedge, grass, heath, swamp and understorey vegetation

Known refuge dimensions: Not stated in supplied sources

  • Treat intact grass nests and dense ground tunnels as potential fauna refuges during pre-clearance inspections.
  • Clear vegetation progressively and check each work area for small native rodents before machinery enters.
  • Keep retained refuge cover free of spoil, machinery parking and temporary access tracks.

Sheltering habitat: Movement through cover

Eastern Chestnut Mice maintain runways and tunnels in dense sedge cover in wet heathlands. Their reported home ranges are small, less than 0.5 ha.

Reported home range: Less than 0.5 ha

  • Avoid severing narrow strips of dense ground cover that may function as local runways.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers to check vegetation piles and felled ground cover before relocation or disposal.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main documented pressures are habitat loss, inappropriate fire regimes, habitat modification and predation by introduced carnivores. Clearing can remove both the dense cover used for feeding and the grass nests used for daytime shelter.

Habitat loss is identified as a threat. Clearing wet heath, swamp, open woodland, open forest, dense sedge or grassy understorey can remove feeding, nesting and shelter habitat.

Fragmented habitat patches may lose the connected ground cover needed for movement through runways and tunnels. The supplied sources do not quantify a minimum patch size or road crossing distance.

  • Survey wet heath, swamp, dense understorey and grassy ground cover before finalising clearing limits.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of ground cover from the edge of retained habitat.
  • Keep temporary work areas, access routes and spoil placement outside potential habitat where practicable.
  • Use staged clearing and fauna inspection procedures where dense ground cover must be removed.

Threats: Fire and vegetation change

Inappropriate fire regimes are identified as a threat. Population densities can peak in heath regenerating about 2 to 4 years after fire, indicating that the age and structure of regrowth affect habitat value.

Fire that removes dense ground cover, or repeated burning that prevents its development, can reduce nest sites, food resources and movement cover.

  • Record recent fire history and vegetation condition during habitat assessment.
  • Avoid broad disturbance to regenerating heath without checking for signs and recent use.

Threats: Predators and introduced animals

Predation by introduced carnivores, including cats and dogs, is identified as a threat. The Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub source also lists cats, foxes and black rats among non-native fauna that may occur in or near the ecological community.

The supplied sources do not quantify predation rates or identify disease as a documented threat for this species.

  • Do not leave food waste or other attractants around work areas.
  • Manage domestic dogs and other introduced predators in accordance with project controls and site conditions.
  • Report injured or captured animals to the fauna ecologist and follow the approved wildlife handling procedure.

Threats: Roads and hydrology

The supplied species sources do not specifically document road mortality or hydrology change as threats. However, wet heath and swamp habitat are part of the species' documented habitat, so drainage, sediment movement or altered water conditions can remove or degrade habitat at a project site.

The wallum heath background paper describes wet heath as having hydrological and water quality functions, although that discussion is not a species-specific impact study.

  • Avoid directing runoff, sediment or contaminated water into retained wet heath or swamp habitat.
  • Keep vehicle movements off dense ground cover and use designated crossings where access through habitat cannot be avoided.
  • Check culverts, drains and road verges for small mammals before works that alter access or drainage.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and sign searches

Survey effort should reflect the proposed disturbance, the amount of suitable habitat and the likelihood of detection. The supplied survey-guideline extract does not provide a species-specific survey protocol for the Eastern Chestnut Mouse, so use current state guidance and obtain any required trapping or scientific licences before fieldwork.

Map wet heath, swampy areas, dense sedge cover, open woodland, and dry or wet sclerophyll forest before selecting survey sites.

Search dense ground cover for runways, tunnels, grass nests and other signs of small terrestrial rodents. Eastern Chestnut Mice are terrestrial and maintain runways and tunnels in dense sedge cover.

Record recent fire history because population densities can peak in vegetation regenerating 2 to 4 years after fire.

Typical habitat: Wet heath, swampy areas with dense understorey, open woodland, and dry or wet sclerophyll forest.

Activity: Crepuscular and nocturnal.

Higher-density regeneration: Often reported in areas regenerating 2 to 4 years after fire.

  • Walk all proposed clearing areas and nearby retained habitat, recording habitat type, ground cover, drainage, fire age, tracks, nests and other signs.
  • Use the same search route and record the searched area, date, start and finish times, weather, observer effort and detection results.
  • Treat absence of signs as inconclusive because this species is crepuscular and nocturnal and can occur at low or locally variable densities.

Survey methodology: 2. Night searches and spotlighting

Conduct searches from dusk into the night when the species is active. Focus on dense sedge, heath and grassy ground cover, including edges of proposed clearing and retained habitat.

Use quiet, slow searches and record direct observations, movement routes, nests and other signs. Do not rely on spotlighting alone, because the supplied documents do not provide a detection rate or species-specific spotlighting effort.

  • Record the number of observers, search duration, route length or area searched, start and finish times, weather, moon conditions and habitat searched.
  • Repeat searches when the initial survey is affected by heavy rain, strong wind, extreme heat or other conditions likely to reduce activity, in line with the relevant state survey guidance.
  • Identify animals before capture or relocation because the Eastern Chestnut Mouse can be confused with other rodents, including the New Holland Mouse, introduced House Mouse, Bush Rat and Swamp Rat.

Survey methodology: 3. Live trapping and remote detection

Use live trapping or remote cameras only where the project requires stronger evidence of presence and the work is covered by the relevant animal ethics, scientific and wildlife approvals.

Place equipment in suitable ground cover, including wet heath, swamp edges, dense sedge and grassy understorey, rather than in exposed cleared areas.

The supplied documents do not specify trap type, trap spacing, trap nights, checking intervals or camera effort for this species, so obtain the current state protocol before setting equipment.

  • Prepare a written trapping plan that states the equipment, placement, checking frequency, weather limits, emergency procedures, identification method and release location.
  • Use appropriate shelter and protection from heat, cold, rain and predators, and stop trapping when conditions could compromise animal welfare.
  • Record captures, non-target animals, trap effort, trap failures, weather, habitat and release locations, and submit records to the relevant state wildlife database.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a desktop review and a field habitat assessment across the full disturbance footprint and nearby retained habitat before clearing.
  • Use dusk or night searches in suitable habitat, with effort and conditions documented for every survey event.
  • Add live trapping or remote cameras where habitat is suitable and the risk, scale or uncertainty of the project warrants additional detection methods, subject to approvals.
  • Use a current state survey guideline or advice from the relevant wildlife authority to set the final number of nights, trap nights, transect length and survey timing.
  • Have a competent mammal ecologist confirm records and distinguish the species from similar rodents before relying on a non-detection.
  • Submit confirmed occurrence records, survey effort and locations to the relevant state wildlife database, and provide records to the project regulator where required.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

The Eastern Chestnut Mouse is vulnerable in New South Wales and uses several types of ground-layer habitat. Avoid removing wet heath, swampy vegetation and dense ground cover wherever practicable, and retain connected habitat beside the work area.

Redesign the works to retain wet heath, swampy areas, dense sedge cover, open woodland and forest with a grassy or dense understorey.

Retain continuous ground cover and links between habitat patches, particularly where vegetation provides runways, tunnels or grass nests.

Keep construction access, stockpiles, spoil, drainage works and machinery out of retained habitat and wet areas.

Avoid unnecessary removal of logs, coarse ground cover and litter that provide shelter for a small terrestrial rodent.

NSW status: Vulnerable.

Distribution: Coastal and near-coastal eastern Australia from Jervis Bay, New South Wales, north to Cooktown, with inland records around 500 kilometres in central Queensland and an outlying Jervis Bay population noted in the taxonomic account.

Shelter and movement: Grass nests, runways and tunnels in dense ground cover.

  • Mark the approved disturbance boundary before mobilisation and maintain it throughout the works.
  • Use existing cleared access routes where practicable and keep temporary disturbance within the approved footprint.
  • Prevent sediment, stormwater, chemicals and weeds from entering retained heath, swamp or wetland habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Confirm the species status at the project location before works begin. The supplied profile states that it is not listed under the EPBC Act and is Vulnerable in New South Wales, but state and territory listings must be checked for the actual work area.

Obtain any state fauna, scientific, animal ethics, trapping or wildlife rehabilitation approvals required for survey, capture, handling or relocation.

Refer the project under the EPBC Act if the species is nationally listed at the time of assessment or if another protected matter may be affected.

Breeding period: Around August to March.

Gestation: Around 27 days.

Litter size: 1 to 5 young.

  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, disturbance limits, authorised personnel, handling procedures, release areas, stop-work triggers and reporting requirements.
  • Set out the sequence for pre-clearance surveys, staged clearing, daily inspections, fauna handling, injury response and post-clearance checks.
  • Plan works to avoid unnecessary disturbance during the breeding period, around August to March, where the construction program allows.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Complete the pre-clearance survey after the final design and before vegetation removal, with particular attention to dense heath, sedge, swamp margins and grassy ground cover.

Mark habitat to be retained, identified nests, runways, tunnels, wet areas and any fauna exclusion zones on plans and on the ground.

Use exclusion fencing where it can direct animals away from the work area without blocking movement between retained habitat patches.

Brief machinery operators and spotter catchers on the species' appearance, nocturnal activity, likely shelter and the agreed stop-work procedure.

  • Schedule clearing in stages so the spotter catcher can inspect each work area and manage animals before machinery enters.
  • Remove rubbish, food and other attractants that may increase use of the site by cats, foxes or dogs.
  • Keep domestic animals and unauthorised people out of retained habitat and fauna handling areas.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Clearing should be staged and supervised in a way that protects ground-dwelling animals and retains escape routes. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to pause machinery and must work within the approved handling and relocation arrangements.

Inspect the active work area at the start of each day and after overnight rainfall, flooding, fire or other events that could change animal shelter or movement.

Keep machinery inside the marked footprint and use a slow, controlled clearing sequence that allows the spotter catcher to inspect vegetation and ground cover before removal.

Clear from the least disturbed edge towards retained habitat where this creates a safe escape route and does not drive animals towards roads, open water, machinery or other hazards.

  • Nominate one spotter catcher as the person who gives the stop and restart direction to machinery operators.
  • Maintain radio or direct visual contact between the spotter catcher and each operator working near habitat.
  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher identifies an animal, nest, runway, tunnel, injured fauna or an unassessed habitat feature.
  • Do not resume work until the animal or feature has been managed and the spotter catcher records the clearance.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and fauna handling

Inspect dense sedge, grass nests, runways, tunnels, logs, litter, rocks and swamp margins before they are disturbed. The documents identify grass nests and dense ground cover as important shelter features.

Do not place the Eastern Chestnut Mouse in a pocket, vehicle, building or temporary container longer than necessary, and do not handle it unless authorised and trained under the project approval.

Relocate a captured animal only to nearby suitable retained habitat that is outside the disturbance footprint, connected where practicable, and approved in the fauna management plan.

  • Use appropriate fauna equipment and handling methods specified by the project wildlife authority or licence, rather than improvising procedures in the field.
  • Do not dismantle nests or destroy runways and tunnels before the spotter catcher has inspected them.
  • Take injured or sick animals to an appropriately authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable.
  • Do not release an animal into unsuitable open ground, an active construction zone, isolated habitat or an area known to be occupied by a predator.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work in the affected area if an Eastern Chestnut Mouse is found and cannot be safely moved, if repeated animals are encountered, or if the approved fauna management procedure cannot be followed.

Stop work if clearing exposes a nest, tunnel system or other shelter feature that has not been assessed by the spotter catcher.

Escalate repeated captures, mortality, injury, unexpected habitat use or predator activity to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority.

  • Record the date, time, location, habitat, weather, activity, animal condition, identification method, handling, release or treatment outcome and people involved for every animal encounter.
  • Photograph or map significant habitat features where this can be done without further disturbance.
  • Record the area cleared each day, machinery used, spotter catcher name, start and finish times, incidents, non-compliance and corrective actions.
  • Report deaths, injuries, escapes, unauthorised handling and unapproved disturbance in accordance with the fauna management plan and permit conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no animals or shelter features remain in the disturbed area and that retained habitat is still connected and protected. Use the records to adjust controls while construction continues.

Complete a final inspection of each cleared section for live animals, carcasses, nests, runways, tunnels and animals sheltering under debris or at the clearing edge.

Inspect retained habitat beside the work area for damage from machinery, sediment, weeds, altered drainage, fire or unauthorised access.

Keep exclusion fencing, signage and no-go markers in place until the project ecologist confirms that the area is stable and construction no longer threatens retained habitat.

  • Check each staged clearing area before it is handed to the next construction activity.
  • Repeat checks after heavy rain, flooding, fire, major vegetation disturbance or changes to drainage.
  • Repair damaged controls promptly and record the repair.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained wet heath, swampy areas, dense ground cover and nearby regeneration during construction and early operation.

Compare monitoring results with the pre-clearance habitat map and survey records, including changes in ground cover, fire age, predator activity and evidence of Eastern Chestnut Mouse use.

Use additional night searches, remote cameras or live trapping only where approved and where the project risk or monitoring question requires them.

Monitoring focus: Wet heath, swampy areas, dense sedge or grassy cover, runways, tunnels and grass nests.

  • Set monitoring dates, methods, responsible people and response thresholds in the fauna management plan.
  • Report confirmed records, injuries, deaths, relocations, habitat damage and control failures to the project environmental officer and regulator where required.
  • Submit confirmed records and survey data to the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Review whether the project has caused a loss of connected habitat or a change in drainage, fire conditions or predator pressure.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and corrective action

Determine whether offsets, restoration or other compensatory measures apply under the approval, state policy or project conditions.

Use the measured area and condition of habitat disturbed, retained and restored when assessing any offset requirement.

Implement corrective action if monitoring identifies continuing habitat loss, isolation, weed invasion, altered drainage, inappropriate fire or increased predation.

  • Do not treat relocation alone as an offset for permanent habitat loss.
  • Maintain a register of commitments, offset areas, restoration actions, monitoring results and outstanding corrective actions.
  • Retain all fauna records, maps, photographs, permits and reports with the project environmental records.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the dense ground layer and wet heath or swamp structure used for shelter and movement. It should also restore connectivity and manage the threats identified for the species, including habitat loss, inappropriate fire and introduced predators.

Re-establish wet heath, swamp vegetation, open woodland or sclerophyll forest consistent with the pre-disturbance community and local reference sites.

Restore dense sedge, grass and heath cover that can support runways, tunnels and grass nests.

Use locally appropriate native plant species and local provenance where available, selected from the pre-clearing vegetation community rather than from a generic seed mix.

Reinstate suitable woody debris, leaf litter and other ground cover removed for construction, provided these materials are free of weeds, pathogens and contaminants.

  • Shape and stabilise disturbed ground so drainage supports the original wet or swampy habitat without creating persistent erosion or ponding outside the design.
  • Reconnect retained habitat patches with planted or naturally regenerating ground cover.
  • Keep vehicles, stockpiles, mowing and maintenance activities out of the rehabilitation area until the success criteria are met.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Develop a site-specific fire regime that avoids broad, uniform burns and retains a range of regeneration ages, because the species can reach higher densities in vegetation regenerating 2 to 4 years after fire.

Do not burn rehabilitation areas solely to create a target age without considering local fire planning, nesting animals, drought, fuel loads and the needs of connected habitat.

Control weeds that reduce dense native ground cover or alter wet heath and swamp structure.

Manage introduced cats, foxes and dogs in accordance with approved pest management programs, because predation by introduced carnivores is identified as a threat.

Fire-related habitat response: Population densities can peak in areas regenerating 2 to 4 years after fire.

Identified threats: Habitat loss, inappropriate fire regimes, and predation by introduced carnivores.

  • Inspect rehabilitation areas for weed germination and predator activity during every monitoring visit.
  • Coordinate any planned fire with the relevant land manager and fauna ecologist, and complete a fauna check before ignition.
  • Retain unburnt refuge areas and movement links during planned fire where this is consistent with the approved fire plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor plant establishment, ground-cover density, wetland or swamp hydrology, connectivity, weed cover, predator activity and evidence of Eastern Chestnut Mouse use.

Use the pre-disturbance habitat assessment and nearby reference habitat to set measurable rehabilitation targets.

Confirm success with repeat habitat inspections and, where required by the approval or risk assessment, repeat night searches, cameras or approved live trapping.

Breeding period to consider: Around August to March.

Useful habitat indicator: Dense native ground cover with runways, tunnels or grass nests.

  • Record vegetation establishment, ground-cover continuity, runways, tunnels, nests, direct observations and other signs at fixed locations or along repeatable routes.
  • Monitor during and after the species' breeding period, around August to March, where this aligns with the approved monitoring program.
  • Maintain monitoring until the rehabilitation area supports dense native ground cover and meets the project approval's agreed success criteria.
  • Submit confirmed species records and rehabilitation outcomes to the relevant state wildlife database and report failures with proposed corrective action.

Sources